Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG HSM A Canon review: A Prime Example of Lens Design

Bravo Sigma

It is clear that Sigma has done something very special with the 35mm f1.4 DG HSM A, they have produced a lens that performs better than Canon’s own 35mm lenses and better than a Carl Zeiss 35mm f1.4. When an independent manufacturer’s lenses can do this, it must make the customers think carefully about their buying decisions. It is also good to see a manufacturer recognise the demand for optics that provide pleasing bokeh and to address this specifically.

There are really only two contenders where 35mm lenses for Canon are concerned. If you want the best then Sigma is the choice for you and if you want a bargain, then Canon’s EF 35mm f2, launched in 1990 could be a good alternative.

Further readings for the Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG HSM A Canon review: A Prime Example of Lens Design

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As the first model in Sigma’s high-grade ART series the 35mm f1.4 HSM A set the bar very high for image quality when measured on Canon and Nikon bodies. The lens is also available in Sony mount, and we couldn’t resist trying it on the excellent Sony A99. Read on to see how well it performs.

The second in our series of selecting the best-quality lenses for your camera concentrates on one of the most highly-anticipated cameras of our time, the successor to the hugely popular EOS 5D Mark II. But by the time it was announced, in early March, it’s probably fair to say Nikon had taken fair amount of interest away by announcing the 36M-Pix D800 and D800E models the month before. Be that as it may, there’s no denying the 22.3 M-Pix EOS 5D Mark III is a remarkably capable camera, and a formidable rival to the Nikon.

Sigma has produced some really fine lenses over the past few years, including the 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM (which we liked a lot when we reviewed it in 2008) and the 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM. But the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM may possibly be its best yet. In fact it's one of those rare lenses for which finding any fault seems almost churlish, so good is its overall performance.